THE ARMOURED MOTORS

Nelson Evening Mail, 19 September 1916, Page 5

THE ARMOURED MOTORS

•CLOSELY GUARDED- SECRETS(Australian and N".Z. Cable Association.) JLOMDOX, Sept. 18. "Mr Philip Gtbhs writes: The British -went over the parapets on Friday exalted and excited by the smeli of victory, and laughing as they ran because a new tov had inflamed their fancy. They are enormously cheered and amused by the new weapons so dully- described by the official buSetin. The secret of these extraordinary armoured motors has "been jealously kept for months. Ail > manner of marvellous powers are .attributed to them. They are proof against- .bullets, hombs and shell splinters, taking ditches like kangmroos. . The actual sight -was monstrously comical. Thev are like enormous toads, but thev did good, work and scared the Germans dTeadfnHv. Their utility was proved near Courcelette. The infantry were held. 1 -op at a German redoubt in the ruins of a sugar factory. It was full of •machine "grins, one of those deadly places which have previously cost so many lives. Then over the British trenched in the half light of dawn the new monster crawled to the rescue. The troops cheered, and! even laushed with the blood streaming down their faces-, as this creature, named the Creme de Menthe, waddi'ed forward over the old German trenches towards the redorfbt. The enemv were momentarily silent, and then spasms of machine gun fire splashed on the Creme de Menthe's sides, ibut fell -harmlessly. The 'Creme de Menfhe advanced upon the broken wall and leaned asainst it. The bricxs crashed down and the motor walked into the heart of the ruins. The motor poured out a stream of bullets, trampled machine ,srun emplacements and crushed the machine snms and killed the teams. The infantry "foliowed and occupied the redoubt. ' , There were similar scenes at High Wood'. Our men for a time were driven back. Then thev felt great joy at seems several "tanks"" advancing through the wood and on each side. Wounded' soldiers relate extraordinary stories. Thev declare that the "tanks" (broke down "trees, mounted 'barricades, and) stamped out dug-outs. The Bodies were thoroughly scared, and ran about shouting like men demented. During- the attack at Martin-puich machine guns held up the infantry on the outskirts, of the village. Two "tanks," which had alreadiy passed the -British frone line in the darkness, now crawled across No Man's Land and nosed the Martinpuidh walls, testing the strength of the 'broken haras. Twenty minutes later the infantry were inside the first trenches of Mart-inpuich. The monster was still waddling ahead. A hundred'. Germans confronted another "tank" shoutin-g "Mercy !" A "tank" led the procession of prisoners to the British lines. The first news of the success, at Flers was an airman's wireless -message that a "tank" was walking up Flers hivrh street with the -British Army cheering behind. This was an actual fact; one of the motor monsters was there enjoying itseof thoroughly, forcing the enemy to keep their heads down. It hung out a large placard on whkih were the words. "Great Hun defeat—special." "Meanwhile the aeroplanes flew over and scared the Germans fleeing before the monstrous apparition. which was pouring out a, deadly machine gun fire.